KUCHING: PRS president Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing is baffled by the exceptionally fast approval of the Sarawak Workers Party (SWP) by the Registrar of Societies (ROS).

On top of that, it is even more puzzling to him that SWP is said to be out to get PRS.

“Why is it that a party aiming a gun only at PRS – a Dayak-based party – has been endorsed by the Registrar of Societies headquarters in Putrajaya?

“I was told that ROS Sarawak submitted six new parties to be endorsed by ROS Putrajaya, but only SWP got it. PRS members are uneasy about this and are asking the rationale of such decision,” he told The Star after news about the endorsement of SWP being highlighted in a local daily yesterday.

Masing believed that there was something at play and it had to do with toppling the state’s second biggest BN component party and the biggest Dayak-based party.

“Why ROS chose to endorse SWP over the other five applicants baffles me. Perhaps they have reasons which I am not privileged to know,” he added.

SWP pro tem president Dr Ong Lark Sai was quoted in a local daily as saying that the party would target rural areas for the coming parliamentary elections.

Words have also been going around that the party was set up by Datuk Sng Chee Hua because of a vendetta against PRS.

However, Dr Ong had denied this.

“No, Datuk Sng and Larry (Sng’s on) are not in the picture. We are catering for the well-being of working class citizens.”

Dr Ong also revealed that the official launching of the party would be held publicly in about two weeks’ time but it might not be in Kuching.

Now that Pelagus assemblyman George Lagong has expressed his interest to contest for the Hulu Rajang parliamentary seat under SWP, it becomes more apparent that the party would be contesting in PRS-held seats.

Applications of five new parties still under consideration by ROS

KUCHING: The Registrar of Societies (ROS) has yet to approve the registration of five new political parties in the state that have submitted their applications since two years ago.

An ROS officer at its head office in Kuala Lumpur said these applications were still being considered by those in the registrar’s higher authority.

“These parties, which are non-racial based, have all complied with the Schedule 1 of the Societies Act 1966.

“The applications are still being considered by those at the top,” he told The Star when contacted.

Except for TERAS which submitted its application on March 5 this year, the rest submitted their applications two years ago.

“There are 21 political parties in the country, including the five that are still waiting for their registration approval,” the officer added.

The ROS had earlier this month approved the registration of Sarawak Workers Party (SWP).

The officer said SWP was not a new party as the application was submitted previously by the committee of the Sabah People’s Front.

“It is just that there was a change of leadership and constitution in the party, which had also decided to change its name and logo,” he said.

SWP pro tem president Dr Ong Lark Sai said the party would be Barisan Nasional-friendly but admitted that it would have to take on Barisan in some parliamentary seats in the coming parliamentary elections.

Meanwhile, PBDS Baru pro tem president Louis Jarau questioned the ROS for not approving its application.

“Why is there (such) double standard in this case?

“We have complied with the requirements of the ROS and there is no reason for it not to approve our application,” said Jarau, who is a lawyer by profession.